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Engagement Chicken

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prettyinlove

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Has anyone ever tried this? I read about it a few years ago in Glamour Magazine...And later on the news as "A recipe that has inspired 21 men to propose marriage."
http://www.glamour.com/lifestyle/dobetter/articles/2006/07/10/engagementchicken05feb

I''ll copy and paste the article...
First comes chicken, then comes marriage? Be skeptical if you must, but this recipe may be charmed. It all began 22 years ago, when then-Glamour fashion editor Kim Bonnell gave the recipe to her assistant, Kathy Suder, who made the chicken for her boyfriend, who, a month later, asked her to marry him. "It''s a meal your wife would make. It got me thinking," says Jon Suder, who now has three children with Kathy. Details of the simple dish passed from assistant to assistant like a culinary chain letter. When Bonnell heard that her recipe had inspired three weddings, she dubbed it Engagement Chicken. Try the recipe, give it to a friend— oh, and let us know when it works!

1 whole chicken (approx. 3 lb.)
2 medium lemons
Fresh lemon juice (1/2 cup)
Kosher or sea salt
Ground black pepper
Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Wash chicken inside and out with cold water, remove the giblets, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander until it reaches room temp (about 15 minutes). Pat dry with paper towels. Pour lemon juice all over the chicken (inside and outside). Season with salt and pepper. Prick the whole lemons three times with a fork and place deep inside the cavity. (Tip: If lemons are hard, roll on countertop with your palm to get juices flowing.) Place the bird breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan, lower heat to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn it breast-side up (use wooden spoons!); return it to oven for 35 minutes more. Test for doneness—a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh should read 180 degrees, or juices should run clear when chicken is pricked with a fork. Continue baking if necessary. Let chicken cool for a few minutes before carving. Serve with juices.

 

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Ideal_Rock
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LOL....this is great!

I think all PS''s LIWs need to try this and see if it works!

(I''d suggest throwing some rosemary into the cavity with the lemons...it smells divine...but maybe that would mess up the magic????)

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~*Alexis*~

Brilliant_Rock
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hmmm..thats sounds good...to bad I can''t cook. I''m illiterate.
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:)
 

AmberWaves

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I''m a loser. I tried it.
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A year and half ago, I believe. Funny thing is, I was allergic to lemon at the time, but from what I heard, it was great. AND, the first whole chicken I ever made. A year later we got engaged, but it was inevitable, so I don''t know if it was the chicken. Actually, Paul is more in love with my mac & cheese, so maybe it was THAT that did it!
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ammayernyc

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As a chef-in-training, DO NOT cook your chicken to 180 degrees. You will have a horrible, dried out chicken. Cook it until 160 - 165 and let it rest before you serve it. It should be 165, but it will carry over cook if you take it out at 160 it will be okay.
 

AmberWaves

Ideal_Rock
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Amanda, that''s so funny you should say that because I didn''t even read that temp. line when I FIRST made the chicken, nor did I do it this time. Interesting. Maybe because my chicken was nice and juicy, that''s why it didn''t work?
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Mara

Super_Ideal_Rock
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lol that''s hilarious, i guess i would try it if i was waiting with no idea when it might happen!!

i would also throw in some veggies to cook with the chicken so that you can have a whole meal. that sounds to me like it could be a crockpot chicken as well, by adding chicken broth and wine. but yes that might mess with the mojo!!
 

dmbfan

Shiny_Rock
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Dec 1, 2005
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Maybe I was just doing it wrong, My ex''s favorite meal was my chicken that I''d sautéed in lime & lemon juice with my secret mixture of salt pepper and herbs. Oh well I guess she doesn''t get that anymore.
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~*Alexis*~

Brilliant_Rock
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dmb...wanna come cook for me???? LOL
Or how about for the entire forum...???
 

dmbfan

Shiny_Rock
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Date: 10/31/2006 11:52:08 AM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
dmb...wanna come cook for me???? LOL
Or how about for the entire forum...???
love to. I owe you guys that much...
 

indecisive

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Date: 10/31/2006 11:16:35 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
As a chef-in-training, DO NOT cook your chicken to 180 degrees. You will have a horrible, dried out chicken. Cook it until 160 - 165 and let it rest before you serve it. It should be 165, but it will carry over cook if you take it out at 160 it will be okay.
As a microbiologist with food microbiology training I would say make sure the internal temp gets to 170-180!! He can''t propose if he has food poisoning (doesn''t make for a romantic atmosphere
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AmberWaves

Ideal_Rock
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Indecisive, you are SO right!! That would make for a most memorable evening, no?
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Mandarine

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Sold!!!

I was actually just looking through foodnetwork.com for ideas for dinner tonight...

Since he moved into the new house I''ve been trying out the new beautiful kitchen and have made delicious meals!..I love cooking and he loves eating....and now I have this amazing kitchen...it''s a match made in food heaven! hehe


So...I''m trying this chicken tonight!!!!!. We''ll see if this works!....and hey it''s Halloween, maybe I''ll even cast a spell!!!!!
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I might modify it a little bit here and there, but will try to keep the main ingridients intact!...


M~
 

FireGoddess

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LOL - that''s funny.

Another great trick is to zest the lemons first, and mix the zest with some softened butter. Rub that in between the skin and the breast meat. Talk about yummy.
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prettyinlove

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Let me know how it works out for you!!! i''m engaged now but always planned on trying this recipe when i wasn''t...just to see. i can''t cook though, so i never got the nerve to actually try making a chicken for fear i wouldn''t cook it correctly or clean it enough and we''d get sick.
 

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Ideal_Rock
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Date: 10/31/2006 1:00:41 PM
Author: Mandarine
Sold!!!

I was actually just looking through foodnetwork.com for ideas for dinner tonight...

Since he moved into the new house I''ve been trying out the new beautiful kitchen and have made delicious meals!..I love cooking and he loves eating....and now I have this amazing kitchen...it''s a match made in food heaven! hehe


So...I''m trying this chicken tonight!!!!!. We''ll see if this works!....and hey it''s Halloween, maybe I''ll even cast a spell!!!!!
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I might modify it a little bit here and there, but will try to keep the main ingridients intact!...


M~
Nah....if it were me, I''d do EXACTLY as written....you want to serve Engagement Chicken, not Chicken Manderine!!!
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Mandarine

Ideal_Rock
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hahaha..

I just always have a hard time following recipes! and this one seems so simple...doesn''t it?.

But you''re right...if I''m going to do this I should do it right. It is for a serious cause!! hehe
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But how about just a little bit of rosemary and garlic? what do you all think?

a) Follow it exactly
b) Modify it a bit

I''ve never made a whole chicken! this is very exciting!!

M~
 

AmberWaves

Ideal_Rock
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mandarine, I''d follow it exactly. From what I heard from FI it was tasty, and didn''t need the rosemary at all, but I LOVE rosemary anyway. Maybe after you make it this once, and he likes it, you can try it again some other time Engagement Chicken ala Mandarine!
 

therighttime

Shiny_Rock
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Feb 20, 2006
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224
Ugh, I got to this thread too late to try this today. I''ve already started a pot of chili. (But if he proposes tonight I can always call it "therighttime engagement chili?" )

I''m like some of the rest of you... never cooked a whole chicken before. I''d hate to make us both sick.... but I think we ALL should give it a try.. soon!

Good Luck Mandarine!!!! Hope that recipe works!
 

SoonIHope

Ideal_Rock
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2,152
Another vote for "follow it exactly" - even if another way tastes better, it would lose its magical powers!!!
 

ljmorgan

Brilliant_Rock
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I actually made that for my fiance after we had been dating maybe 3 months -- well over two years ago. We joked about it and mused whether it would work and we''d eventually become engaged. The fun part was... the whole dinner was a mess! The chicken took forever to cook, I cut myself slicing lemons... when he got to my house all my makeup had run off, I was huffing and sniffly because I cut myself pretty bad, AND i stepped on glass in the kitchen. When he got home we ate the crescent rolls and mashed potatoes, and let the chicken keep cooking. By the time it was done we were full, we took a few bites and declared it was excellent. Then we threw it away because we''re wasteful
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But hey I guess it worked!
 

ammayernyc

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
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Date: 10/31/2006 12:20:18 PM
Author: indecisive

Date: 10/31/2006 11:16:35 AM
Author: AmandaPanda
As a chef-in-training, DO NOT cook your chicken to 180 degrees. You will have a horrible, dried out chicken. Cook it until 160 - 165 and let it rest before you serve it. It should be 165, but it will carry over cook if you take it out at 160 it will be okay.
As a microbiologist with food microbiology training I would say make sure the internal temp gets to 170-180!! He can''t propose if he has food poisoning (doesn''t make for a romantic atmosphere
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Interesting... maybe things have changed. We have to take classes about nutrition and sanitation and were told that salmonila (sp) and other bad stuff is killed off at 165. Also, there is a huge difference (taste-wise) between 170 and 180 degrees.
 

Mandarine

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
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I actually made the chicken!!!!!!!

Ok...I couldn''t really follow it exactly and ended up adding a little rosemary and a little garlic
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!!!.....but just a tiny bit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The taste was amazing and it was juicy and just delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!...he loved it and ate more than half a chicken!!! hehehe

So maybe I messed up the magic by adding the Mandarine touch, but who knows...no ring yet, but maybe soon!!!.....

He actually pulled out the wish bone and asked me to make a wish!!! Can you guys take a guess for what I wished with the bone he pulled from the engagement chicken?
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M~
 

anchor31

Ideal_Rock
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Oct 18, 2005
Messages
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Haha Mandarine, you''re so funny! I''m keeping my fingers crossed for you, it''s high time you got off that list!
 

janinegirly

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Sep 21, 2006
Messages
3,689
how long did it take to cook maderine (including preparation)? where did you add the garlic and rosemary? i actually don''t believe in this myth (I''ve known about it forever, it''s from the 1950''s), but the chicken sure sounds good, so might cook it for that reason alone! did your bf wonder why you were whipping up entire chickens all the sudden?
 

Mara

Super_Ideal_Rock
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lol mandarine re: the wishbone.

i love a roasted chicken with lemon, rosemary and garlic. super easy and mmmm good.
 

Mandarine

Ideal_Rock
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hehe Anchor...

Janine,

It took like 2 hours but I think itf I would have done it right (cover it at the beginning) then it should have taken less. This chicken was about 3.47 lbs, but I bought a thermomether to make sure it was done (you insert it in the thigh).

This is how I made it. I washed it and cleaned it with limes....then I poured some lemon juice and rubbed it with salt, pepper and a little bit og olive oil. Then I chopped off some garlic and rosemary and actually placed it inside the skin on all sides. Not a pleasant thing to do (I hate touching raw chicken), but it made it taste SO good!!!. Then inside the chicken I placed a sprig of rosemary, 2 garlic cloves and two lemons (not cut, just pinched with a fork in several places).

2 hours later...the chieckn was done and the house smelled so good!

My BF didn''t wonder...the previous day I had mad pot roast for dinner and french onion soup for lunch.....he thinks I was just inspired by the new kitchen! hehe

M~
 

FireGoddess

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 25, 2005
Messages
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Mandarine, did you get the big half of the wishbone?! I hope this bird works its magic!!
 

janinegirly

Ideal_Rock
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Sep 21, 2006
Messages
3,689
ok i''m sold. i'' gonna try this next week or wkend. when i buy roast chicken from the supermarket, it tastes so dried out (even though it looked good on the shelf). 2 hrs is kinda long (i am too exhausted during the week), so maybe on a weekend..
i hope i don''t have to clean the insides too much!
 

Mandarine

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 20, 2006
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Date: 11/2/2006 3:59:06 PM
Author: FireGoddess
Mandarine, did you get the big half of the wishbone?! I hope this bird works its magic!!

I did!!!!!!!
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I made my wish too
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...

I was laughing internally when he decided (on his own) to pull out the wishbone...if he only knew this whole chicken was all a plan sparked by a PS thread! hahaha.

Engagement chicken, Halloween night with a pumpkin glowing on the window and the big part of the wishbone!

Magic doesn''t get any more professional than this! hehe

M~
 
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